One of B.C.\u2019s favourite homegrown pies looks to fill a gap in the market with its fresh ingredients and gourmet menu \n<\/p>\n
Yuvraj Chopra sees a gap in the Whistler market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we were here researching, trying to open a new store in Whistler, we didn’t find that much Neopolitan-style pizza that wasn\u2019t dine-in, like a grab-and-go restaurant,\u201d said Chopra, store manager at Pizza Garden, which opened in Whistler Village this July.<\/p>\n
The Vancouverite, along with owner and longtime restaurateur Nima Pirayeghgar, hit on a reality of the resort\u2019s restaurant scene. While there is a glut of options at either end of the dining scale\u2014fast, casual pubfare at one and white-tablecloth fine dining at the other\u2014there is a relative lack of quality, affordable menus that straddle the middle ground. Part of that is the economic reality of running a restaurant in a luxe ski destination: commercial rents aren\u2019t getting any cheaper and fine-dining spots can charge a premium to well-heeled guests willing to pay, while at the other side of the scale, pubs and casual eateries can get away with cutting costs on mediocre to middling food knowing there will be a new carousel of hungry visitors waiting for them the next day ready to open their stomachs and wallets.<\/p>\n
Enter Pizza Garden, a homegrown Vancouver pie that opened its first location in 2012 on Commercial Drive and has since added 15 shops province-wide, its latest in Whistler Village. Inspired by Naples, Pizza Garden isn\u2019t the only Neapolitan-style slice in town\u2014Pizzeria Antico\u2019s tasty offering also lays claim to pizza\u2019s birthplace\u2014but Chopra believes the product stands out in a crowded market.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other pizzas we see in the village, it’s all New York-style pizza,\u201d he said. \u201cOurs is that Neapolitan style where we make everything from scratch and everything is made fresh in-store every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like any good pizzaiolo will tell you, that process starts with the dough. Pizza Garden\u2019s living sourdough crust made with imported Caputo flour is cold-fermented for up to 72 hours and shaped by hand before going onto a hearth stone in the Italian fire oven. The result is an airy, thin crust with a distinct crunch on the outside and a delectably chewy bite on the inside.<\/p>\n
Chopra, who worked with owner Pirayeghgar at a past restaurant, said he trained for six months as store manager learning all of Pizza Garden\u2019s different processes. His favourite? Dough stretching.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds weird, but I have to feel the dough,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere are many stretching techniques and it depends upon the pizzamaker what techniques he\u2019s most comfortable with. There are around five to eight steps in stretching the dough. It\u2019s a lot of trial and error. I may use one method for one tray, then the second dough might be a bit softer, so I\u2019ll have to change the method.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an example, if we go to the gym, there is a muscle-mind connection. Here, I have to connect with the dough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike the standard mozzarella, Pizza Garden uses a fior di latte fresh mozzarella, giving it its milky flavour and soft, elastic texture. Known for its fresh ingredients\u2014frozen is a bad word at Pizza Garden\u2014the menu is known for its premium toppings and unique combinations. There\u2019s the Fig and Prosciutto Cotto, topped with creamy ricotta and arugula; the Alaskan Blaze with grana padano cheese, bacon, ground beef, pepperoni, hot soppressata and green peppers; and Chopra\u2019s personal favourite, Pollo Al BBQ, with a drizzle of house-made barbecue sauce, grilled chicken, mushrooms, and red onions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one\u2019s really popular as well, because our barbecue sauce is totally different from other barbecue sauce that you see in the market,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Pizza Garden also prides itself on its vegetarian-friendly menu, with 14 different options ranging from a unique baked potato-based pizza with alfredo sauce, gorgonzola and caramelized onions to its Pizza Magic with artichokes, roasted garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes if you go somewhere else for pizza, after one or two slices, you feel a little bit guilty,\u201d Chopra said. \u201cBut if you have a slice from our restaurant, believe me, you will not feel guilty, because we use 100-per-cent olive oil. It\u2019s not greasy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pizza Garden is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Learn more at pizzagarden.ca.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of B.C.\u2019s favourite homegrown pies looks to fill a gap in the market with its fresh ingredients…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":931605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":["post-931604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-vancouver"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=931604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/931605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=931604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=931604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=931604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}